Sunday, August 24, 2014

Polala Amavasya is observed in Sravanamas every year. Amavasya of Shravana Month is known as Polala Amavasya. Polala Amavasya dedicated to goddess Poleramma. The puja is done on Sravanamas amavasya day means no moon day so it is called as Polala Amavasya. Poleramma is a local deity, and is considered to be one of the incarnations of Goddess Durga.

On the auspicious day of Polala Amavasya women wake up early and clean the house then prepare prasadam. This pooja will performed by married women so Poleramma can safe guard their children from the diseases and death. Mostly diseases like Chicken-pox and Small pox. Because of the Rainy season flu like diseases spread easily for children so, women will perform the pooja to protect their children from diseases and prepare prasadams like Thaligalu Paravannam (Rice flour noodles in rich coconut and cashew paste), Billa Kudumulu (Streamed Rice flour chapathi). They offers pooja to poleramma like chanting Shakthi or devi Mantra, Astrotram, 108 names of devi etc "Raksha Thoram" or "Rakstha Daaram"(Sacred Thread) is also Worshipped during the Pooja. Women and Children tie Raksha Daaram in their hands to seek her blessings.

Polala Amavasya is mostly a local festival in Andhra Pradesh and it is also observed in Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Orissa. Polala Amavasya is also known as Pithori Amavasya. Women draw an image of Pochamma at puja place and offer shodashopachar puja to the Goddess. Goddess Poleramma vratam/puja is quite similar to the Goddess Sheetal Saptami puja observed in North India

The Polala Amavasya Vrat Story:

Once there used to live seven brothers. All of them had children. The wives of all the seven brothers wished to perform the Polalaa Amavasysa Vratam. But the kid of the last brother dies and hence all of them were unable to perform the Vrat. As if someone dies in a house, the whole family cannot perform any Vratams or celebrate any festivals.

This process continued for six years. And each year the kid of the last brother used to die. On the seventh year also, when the kid of the seventh brother dies, the wife of the seventh brother fears that the wives of other brothers would scold her and accuse of her being the reason for they not being able to perform the Vrat, she hides the dead body of the kid in the home and goes to perform the Vrat.

In the night after the Vrat, the wife of the seventh brother takes the dead kid on her shoulder to the Poleramma temple on the outskirts. She cries looking at her dead kid. In the mean time the Goddess Polerama who has just started towards the village for patrolling, sees the seventh brothers wife and asks the reason for her worry.

The wife replies that, this the body of her seventh dead son and every year her sons have been dying for the past seven years because of which she or the wives of other brothers were not able to perform the Polalala Amavasya Vratam. This year she did not inform the death of her seventh son and perfomed the Vrat along with others. She brought the dead kid here and was crying.

The Goddess felt sad for her and showed mercy on her. She gave her some Akshintalu (Turmeric rice grains) and asked her to sprinkle them in the place where she had buried the other kids and call them by their names.

The seventh did as the Goddess said and as she called out the name after sprinkling the Akshintalu, each of her son came alive.

She returned home with all the seven kids. Everyone asked who was she able to get her seven kids back. She narrated the whole story of what happened.

From that day onwards, everyone in the village started to perform the Polala Amavasya Vratam.

Note: There is no Udyapana for Polala Amavasya Vratam. This is can be done by everyone.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Second Friday in the SravanaMasam Month is the VaraLakshmi Vratam festival.

Varalakshmi Vratham is an important ritual for married women mainly in Maharashtra and South India. Varalakshmi Vratham falls on August 8, 2014. Devotees of Goddess Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity, observe the vratham. Varalakshmi refers to the goddess granting boons. On this day, worship of goddess Lakshmi is equivalent to worshipping the goddess of Wealth, Earth, Pleasure, Strength, Fame, Learning, Love and Peace –Ashtalaksmi.

Varalakshmi Vratham is based on Hindu mythology which says that the Goddess Parvati asked Shiva about a fast that would be beneficial to women. Shiva explained the importance of the Varalakshmi Vratha and this conversation takes place in the Skanda Purana.

The Varalakshmi Vratam puja is an important ritual performed during the vratam. Women start the auspicious day by taking a bath and wearing new clothes and jwellery. They clean and decorate their homes with rangolis. The women then prepare for the vratha by arranging the sacred pot called kalasha. The pot is filled with water and rice and symbolizes prosperity. Betel and mango leaves are used to cover the pot. A coconut smeared with vermillion and turmeric is placed on the kalasha which is then placed on a plate with rice.

The puja begins with the worship of the deity Ganesha followed by goddess Mahalakshmi. The next part of the puja involves toram worship which is a bunch of nine threads with a knot on each. The thread is tied on one end to the right wrist of the woman performing the ritual while the other is tied to the kalasha. Lakshmi Ashtottara Shatanamam is chanted during the ritual. The goddess is then offered nine varieties of savories and sweets during the puja. To conclude the vratam they sing hymns praising the goddess and offer sweets to another married woman considering her to be the goddess.

Every Woman would like to celebrate this festival with Love.Some of the married ladies perform the Varalakshmi Vratam today according to their tradition and offers pooja to the Goddess and celebrate with inviting the family members,relatives,&Friends.

I too like this Festival and it is also a Happy day for me because I am born on this festival day ,my parents ,family members relatives showers me on this day with their wishes & blessings.

So friends I wish you all to celebrate a very Happy VaraLakshmi Vratam Wishes & attain the blessings of the Goddess.

Below are some of the Pictures& videos of this festival from me ,Hope you all may like it .

The below song is a collection from my Mother-in-Law and I tuned in this way.